8 5. CPT PRINCIPLE During the COVID-19 pandemic, the competent public authorities and all facilities where persons are deprived of their liberty in the territory of the Council of Europe should make concerted efforts to resort to alternatives to deprivation of liberty, in particular, in situations of overcrowding of places of deprivation of liberty, as close personal contact encourages the spread of the virus; authorities should make greater use of alternatives to pre-trial detention, commutation of sentences, early release and probation, reassess the need to continue involuntary placement of psychiatric patients, discharge or release to community care, wherever appropriate, residents of social care homes, and refrain, to the maximum extent possible, from detaining migrants. NPM FINDING According to the notification received by the NPM from the Administration for the Enforcement of Penal Sanctions in the official letter dated 14 April 2020, by applying the institute of probation, and early release, by abolishing remand, as well as by restrictive referral of new persons to prison, the number of persons deprived of liberty was reduced by 534 persons from 15 March to 13 April 2020. In the District Prison Belgrade, placement has been reduced, and in certain cases remand was replaced by house arrest. 4 early release motions were approved. Decision on probation motions is issued without a hearing. In the Penal-Correctional Institution Sremska Mitrovica, the penal sanctions enforcement judge issued a decision on early release of 16 persons. There were also parolees, but a smaller number. In the Penal-Correctional Institution Belgrade – Padinska Skela, one early release motion was approved, and the other motion filed with the enforcement judge was denied. A petition for discharge from sentence was submitted for 7 convicts; however, it was still pending on the day of the visit. The number of persons in the Reception Centre for Aliens has been reduced because the aliens whose residence has expired had been transferred to migrant reception centres. 6. CPT PRINCIPLE During the COVID-19 pandemic, the competent public authorities and all facilities where persons are deprived of their liberty in the territory of the Council of Europe are required to pay special attention to the specific needs of detained persons with particular regard to vulnerable groups and/or at-risk groups, such as older persons and persons with pre-existing medical conditions, which includes, inter alia, screening for COVID-19 and pathways to intensive care as required, and psychological support. NPM FINDING There are no infected persons in any of the visited correctional institutions or in the Reception Centre for Aliens, and intensified health surveillance has been organized for persons belonging to particularly vulnerable groups. There are 3-4 people at increased risk due to age and pre-existing medical conditions in the Penal-Correctional Institution Belgrade, and these people are under increased health supervision. The Penal-Correctional Institution Sremska Mitrovica has 50-60 chronic patients who are isolated in a special part of the Institution and also under increased health supervision. One person had symptoms indicating potential presence of coronavirus, which is why the person was tested and the result was negative. Testing was performed at the correctional institution.